The Ninth National Assembly
SIR: In few days from now, the 9th national assembly will convene and proceed to elect their leaders. In this article that is not the major focus of discussion. In a football team, the position 9 is referred to as a striker and therefore responsible for scoring goals with his advanced position. The 9th national assembly is similar to a striker who must be brilliant at receiving and controlling the ball to slot home a goal. The head coach is akin to the role of a president who ensures that the team does not lose. I congratulate our distinguished Senators and members of the House of Representatives who have fought unceasingly to become the lawmakers of the federal republic of Nigeria. A variety of new candidates will be welcomed into the fold while some were reelected into the exalted office. As painted above, the significance of the law-making organ cannot be overstressed, they are the legislative branch of our national government.
As the baton is about to be passed to the lawmakers, the citizens are yearning for new laws that will shape the destiny of our dear country. They are longing for the dividend of democ
racy. They are hungering for a lawmaker who will hold the views of his voters at home sacrosanct. They are seeking for lawmakers who will hold town hall meetings from their constituencies to hear their concerns. They are hungry to see lawmakers who will not flex muscle on issue of personal interest. They are expecting to see the winds of next level to blow every inaction away, across the nation. They are expecting to see lawmakers who will bend all efforts to achieve peace in the land. They are expectant to see lawmakers who are concerned about the future of Nigeria. The people are craving for lawmakers who will root out inequality in all facets that has so harshly wronged us. Let the law makers from the north hold a fraternal hand to the law makers from the south and let the law makers from the east hold a fraternal hand to the Law makers from the west on matters of national importancea sign of equality and friendship among races, that is what will make us progress rapidly. The citizens appreciate the timely approval of the N30, 000 minimum wage by the current national assembly but it has to be said that even at N30,000, it is still clearly insufficient. We therefore appeal to the national assembly not to join fate with those who want to increase the suffering of the masses, a carrot stick approach.
We have an unparallel and untapped pool of resources that we can develop and make our country proud. Music, books, film, tourism, among others will fetch us huge incomes. The laws protecting the right of the artist are too lenient, they need to be strengthened. For an artist or a writer who had put in thousands of hours in his craft to be shortchanged is unfair. Setting up an endowment fund for writers and artist is an option the government can adopt to encourage young artist and writers. As per insecurity in the land, it has it root and the root should be rooted out to avoid constant bloodbath we have witnessed in some parts of the country for some time but this is only possible by genuine peace and reconciliation. We all have a role to play to ensure peace returned in our land. A woman who expresses hostility by cluttering the house is fueling the fire of marital strife. The citizen expects all the organs of government to move our great country forward, only then can we attain progress easily and move this country to its Eldorado.
Olusanya Anjorin wrote from Lagos.